The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for the printing of documents and in particular, but not exclusively, to the printing of documents required at a self-service facility such as the Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) provided at banks.
The use of ATMs at financial institutions such as banks is becoming increasingly wide-spread not only in relation to the mere provision of cash funds to a customer but also as regards the provision of other services and information. Thus, as a greater number of services become available at ATMs, so the likelihood of their frequency, and extent, of use is likely to continue to increase.
The increased use of, and demand for, the services available by way of an ATM increases the importance of providing ATMs that are both reliable and efficient in operation. In view of the ever increasing range of services provided by such machines, it is becoming increasingly important for the machine to offer printed matter in the form of statements and reports. Thus, the time that an ATM, when accessed by a customer, will be required to furnish such printed information in the form of, for example, bank statements, will account for a relatively large percentage of the time the ATM is involved in handling a customer""s request and, in view of current constraints on the manner in which documents such as bank statements can be printed, this can disadvantageously lead to an overall reduction in the time that the ATM can handle a customer""s inquiry thereby leading to an overall decrease in the number of transactions that can be handled by the ATM in any given period.
Thus, to maintain a high standard of efficiency and frequency of service by way of an ATM, it would therefore be advantageous to provide for such a self-service terminal in which functions involving the printing of documents do not adversely limit the overall operation of the ATM.
The present invention therefore seeks to provide for a printing apparatus and method exhibiting advantages over known such apparatus and methods.
According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided printing apparatus comprising printing means and a host processor for delivering print data and command data via a common interface to the said printing means, and characterized in that the host processor is arranged to deliver said print data with a first characteristic and said command data with a second characteristic, and that the printing means comprises a printing device for receiving the said print data and a control device for receiving the said command data, the apparatus further including detecting means for detecting the said characteristic of the data appearing at the common interface, and switch means responsive to the detecting means detecting the said first characteristic for switching data from said common interface to the said printing device.
The manner in which the print data and command data are delivered over the common interface in accordance with respective data transfer characteristics provides for the basis of an advantageous means for detecting which of the print data and command data is forthcoming from the host. This allows for a particularly efficient means for switching the data for delivery to its appropriate destination in a manner allowing for a direct connection of the host to the print device particularly when print data is being transmitted from the host device so as to advantageously allow for the full-speed of the print device to be realized.
Advantageously, the said detecting means is provided in a communication path for delivering the command data from the interface to the control device so as to advantageously further limit the effect that the detecting means has on the transfer of print data from the host device to the printing device.
Advantageously, at least part of the detecting means is provided by part of the control device which, particularly advantageously, can comprise a relatively low-cost CPU.
Further, the common interface can be associated with a driver which can include an output port from which data identifying the characteristic of the data arriving from the common interface can be made available.
Advantageously, the said switch comprises a data switch having a pass-through mode allowing for the direct connection of the printing device to the host processor.
According to a particular advantage of the present invention, the said characteristics of the respective data delivered from the host processor comprise different modes for data communication arising in accordance with an established protocol.
In particular, the modes are chosen from those arising in the IEEE 1284 standard and, in particular, the print data is arranged to be transferred in accordance with the so-called Compatibility Mode and the command data is arranged to be transmitted in accordance with the Extended Capabilities Port Mode.
Thus, the host PC is arranged to transmit print data in accordance with the compatibility mode of the 1284 standard and its arranged to transmit the command data by means of the extended capabilities port mode of the 1284 standard.
Advantageously, the host processor is arranged to provide for so-called 1284 negotiation as arising in accordance with the IEEE 1284 standard so as to set the common interface of the present invention to the appropriate mode by transmitting the respective forms of data.
Advantageously, the said printing means comprises a print engine controller and a print engine mechanism and, further the said control means comprises a media handler/communication controller and a media handler mechanism.
In accordance with a further feature of the present invention, direct connectivity can be provided between the print engine controller and the media handler controller so as to allow for the direct transfer of status/state information from the print engine controller directly to the media handler controller which can then be past on, in accordance with the extended capabilities port mode of the 1284 standard to the host processor.
Advantageously, the said control device is arranged to receive command data at the same time as it serves to disable the said switch.
Preferably, in accordance with a particular embodiment of the present invention, the printing apparatus comprises part of the print mechanism of a self-service customer access machine and, in particular, an automated teller machine.
According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a method for printing documents comprising delivering print data and command data from a host processor to printing means comprising a printing device and a control device via a common interface, and characterized by assigning a first characteristic to the said print data and a second characteristic to the said command data and detecting the said characteristic and delivering the data from the host processor to the printing device or the control device responsive to the characteristic detected.
Preferably, the characteristics assigned to the data comprises respective modes of a communications protocol such as the IEEE 1284 standard.
Advantageously, the first characteristic comprises the transfer of data in accordance with the compatibility mode of the 1284 standard and the second characteristic comprises the transfer of data in accordance with extended capabilities port mode of the 1284 standard.
Advantageously, the invention provides for a method as defined above as employing printing apparatus as hereinbefore defined.